Be careful what you read

If you know me well, you’ll know I love books. A few years ago, I was interested in a book. It was super hyped and I wanted to get it. But I didn’t. And I’m glad I didn’t. The book I’m talking about? ‘Act like a lady, Think like a man’ by Steve Harvey. Before I found out it was no good for me, I had already watched the movie based on it. Well, at that time, the very wrong 90-day rule from the story appealed to me. It did probably because I wanted so badly to feel justified if I was to follow the rules of the book. Sad, but true. But when I started drawing closer to God and I began to really hold things according to His standard, the Bible, I began to see just how wrong that luring rule was.

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For those who have no clue what the 90-day rule is, well, Steve Harvey, who claims to be Christian thinks it’s okay for ladies to ‘give up the cookie’ after 90 days. Wrong. Urm, where in the Bible does God tell us it’s okay to have sex outside marriage after 90 days of meeting some guy?! That rule is just so wrong! Ridiculously wrong, and I could have fallen for it if the Word was nowhere in me.

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

What surprises me is that the author says he’s Christian, and yet it seems he lives by a set of different rules and polluting many others out there. It’s made me very careful of the kind of books I decide to read. Even if the author is ‘Christian’ I make sure it’s safe for me, and not a bunch of lies dressed as truth.

The Bible seriously has answers to all we seek. I’ll be the first to admit the standards of God are pretty high, but they are honestly what’s best for us.

Another over hyped but inappropriate book I nearly bothered myself about was ‘50 shades of grey.’ I got it downloaded ‘cause I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Funny thing is, I never read the thing and ended up deleting it. The few reviews I read about it was enough to make me realize it was no good either. (I have to remember to check reviews before actually getting the book. Silly mistake.) The message it carries is a very negative one and I wouldn’t encourage anyone especially a Christian to read it or watch any movie based on it. (Erin, a trusted fellow blogger blogged about it here. You really need to read it.)

“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.” Revelations 21:8

Again, one book I nearly made the mistake of reading is the memoir, ‘Eat, Pray, Love.’ The hype around it obviously caught up to me. But after I read a few pages, my spirit was not having it. Which Christian would really want to know about Hinduism? I wouldn’t want to go about reading books about sorcery or witchcraft, and that’s the same way I shouldn’t read books about false religions/doctrines no matter how fictitious the novel is or not. 

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

“Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissention, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21

I have to be careful not to let my love for books lead me to lies. You need to be careful the things you choose to feed your mind with. At first I didn’t find anything wrong with romance novels, but the more God breaks my heart for what breaks His, the more I see how unnecessary it is for me. I mean romance novels are just like porn. The only difference is one is written, leading you to think up very wrong images, and the other is visual. But porn is porn whether written, audio or visual. Let’s be real here, as a Christian, does these romance books equip you spiritually or is it feeding you carnally, drawing you to be lustful? Does witchy, vampire novels draw you any closer to godliness? C'mon, stop telling yourself you only read it for fun and that it's no harm. It is harmful to your life. The devil will use any means available to sully our minds. It’s time to wake up to truth.

 

Ask yourself if the books you read encourage you to live by God’s standards or if they entice you to compromise the best way God wants you to live life. How do you know the best and true way God intends for you to live your life? It’s all in His Word. Spend some good time reading it everyday. Really read it and live by it, it’ll work so beautifully on your heart. Guard your heart and suit up with the armour of God always.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" 2 Timothy 3:16

 

Seriously, be careful what you read. xoxo

Delali.